Joel and Ethan Coen have become one of America's
finest filmmaking combos, and for good reason. Looking
at their portfolio, you see a common theme of
understanding the cadences, rhythms and twangs of
American speech, and seeing the cracked side of
American life. In films such as "Fargo," "Raising
Arizona," "The Hudsucker Proxy" and "Blood Simple,"
the characters are basically good but not particularly
moral -- there's a criminal side to the heroes (with
the exception of the Frances McDormand police chief in
"Fargo") that makes them charming, flawed but still in a
realm to which the audience can relate.

Loosely (make that very loosely) based on Homer's
"Odyssey," "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" begins with
convict Ulysses Everett McGill (George Clooney)
escaping a Mississippi prison farm with his dim
cohorts Pete (John Turturro) and Delmar (Tim Blake
Nelson). They are off to find the loot hidden by
McGill from an armored car job before the valley it
resides in is flooded by a WPA project. They almost
immediately run into a blind seer (Wayne Duvall) who
predicts that they will find great treasure, albeit
not the one they are seeking.

Along the way, they run into a variety of characters,
from a one-eyed Bible salesman (John Goodman), to a
corrupt Mississippi governor running for re-election
(Charles Durning) to a blind radio station owner
(Steven Root) who records the three convicts singing
"Man of Constant Sorrow" which, unbeknownst to the
three Soggy Bottom Boys (so dubbed because Delmar and
Pete elect to be baptized, to the amusement of McGill)
has become a huge hit.

Heck, you even get to meet the
manic/depressive Baby Face Nelson (Michael Badalucco).
They also run into three larcenous sirens and McGill's
wife, who is preparing to marry a man she considers
"bona fide," which McGill is not. When McGill objects
to his wife remarrying and takes issue with her new
suitor, he gets soundly thrashed and tossed out of a
Woolworth's, to his humiliation. Indeed, the three
Soggy Bottom Boys do find a treasure beyond price,
although they don't realize it at the time.

The Coens capture the period perfectly, and give all
the characters enough eccentricities to make them
interesting, without making them overbearing. Clooney, in particular -- with his
obsession about his hair -- commands attention. He is
not "bona fide," but that's mostly bad luck. We root
for him throughout and for his two dim-witted sidekicks.

DVD notes

This film is delightful and beautiful on DVD

The DVD, in addition to wide-screen, great picture and subtitles, includes a behind-the-scenes featurette;
"Painting With Pixels," about the digital post-production process;
a music video of the "Soggy Bottom Boys" performing "I Am A Man Of Constant Sorrow"; and script to storyboard to final scene comparisons.

This is a very special movie and well worth seeing. Extremely enjoyable. -- John Orr

"O Brother" is a comedy, but it is a dry wit despite
the occasional soggy bottom. The Coens lavish the
characters here with interesting eccentricities and
the actors repay him with excellent performances.

Refreshingly original, "O Brother" remains all Coen
and those who love their movies, as I do, will love
this one. Da Queen and I were laughing till our faces
were beet red, particularly during an early train
sequence, and at the final performance of the Soggy
Bottom Boys near the end of the film. Clooney recently
won a Golden Globe for his performance here, and I
think it's high time he get taken seriously as an
actor, as well as one of Hollywood's biggest stars. In
the meantime, enjoy "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" and
anticipate future celluloid from the Coen Brothers.